One More Adventure
by Moved to A New Accnt
Summary: At their bittersweet reunion five years after the La Huerta trip, Aleister and Grace finally share their suspicions of the Prism Gate and the crystal Silas Prescott holds… and this leads the plan to see if this could be their ticket to see Taylor once again—one more adventure together. (Jake x MC, also ES and Hero crossover.)
1. The Reunion

_Fresh feels from the ES Book 3 Finale. If you picked the Vaanu ending, this is a story of what could have happen during their reunion and after, mostly focusing on Jake. ES x Hero crossover, btw. Enjoy, and indulge._

 _P.S. I haven't written anything in such a long while._

 _P.S. You can listen to these following songs to torture yourself as I did with myself: Happy Ending – MIKA, Fact-Fiction – Mads Langer, Every Little Part of Me - Julie_

* * *

"Happy reunion everyone… Here's to five years!"

Everyone smiles, even Jake. He raises a glass of his whiskey, clinking with the others. It's been five years since then, three years since he was declared innocent and Lundgren was sentenced for 180 years, two years since he was able to go back home and see his family again, a year since he's decided to be an airline pilot—live the easy, quiet life for now.

Jake downs his drink. At the corner of his eye, he sees Diego raise a toast again.

"And to Taylor."

Quietly, the gang raise their glasses once more. Everyone smiles, albeit more solemn, reserved. Taylor was a bittersweet memory—a beacon of hope and the heart of the group that kept everyone together. The reason why they all lived. Why the world was saved. Why they were all here, why they found the love of their lives, the best of friends, and a family in each other. She was the best thing that happened in Jake's life.

Jake's eyes close for a long while, the rim of his glass inches away from his lips, and then he downs it once more. The memory of her still burns, and not even whiskey could douse that painful flame. Jake would not admit it, but that handfasting from five years ago—he took it seriously, with all his heart, his soul. They vowed a year and a day. But to him, he knew he promised an eternity.

Tonight, the ocean was calm. The constellations above them, the million of stars that watch them, were bright against the dark canvas of the Caribbean night. Perhaps, Taylor was there, amongst the beautiful stars, looking at them fondly as she always did.

Jake sets aside his empty glass, chuckling to himself, shaking his head. Diego's shoulders slump, and Varyyn holds his husband close. Sean claps the pilot on the back sympathetically. Quinn watches sadly, knowing the ache of never seeing your loved one again.

"We all miss her." She says, her hand gingerly tugging a pair of dog tags withered by time. On it, Kele's name was engraved. Furball sleeps besides her, nestled in a makeshift bed of blankets. "It feels empty, knowing they'll never come back, but we had lived the best of our times with them."

Jake does not answer, but returns a simple, grateful nod. He pours whiskey again into his glass, his sad eyes reflecting on the golden liquid swirling inside. He remembers her words at the beginning of the recording; she wasn't human, or at least, didn't start as one. She was a fragment of the Island's Heart, of the Vaanu—or Slimer, as he called it. She was different, but he loved her all the same, and everyone felt the same way too. She was Taylor, their leader, their friend, his Princess.

Abruptly, Aleister's phone vibrates, alerting everyone with an elegant soundtrack as his ringtone. Zahra rolls her eyes at the choice of sound.

The Brit raises his brows in question at the caller, and Grace tries to peek. "Hm? ...Oh!"

"Apologies, let me take this call." He hurriedly presses his phone to his ear and stands up, walking away from the group. Somehow, the somber ambiance was broken, and Raj begins to show some photos of his recent celebrity catering to the gang.

Zahra hands over her phone and earphones to Estela and Michelle, asking them what they think of her new song. Michelle bobs her head to the thundering beat, and Estela readily hands back the earphones to the singer after the second line. "This is your sixth song about Craig."

"It is not!" The latter denies vehemently, brows crooked and eyeing Estela icily.

Michelle rolls her eyes, although obviously enjoying the music. "I don't know why you keep denying it, but you end up admitting so when you're stupidly drunk. Quinn, come here, give this a listen."

"Yeah okay!" The redhead smiles, taking the other earphone. Furball wakes up from its nap, and happily trots to Raj for treats.

Estela simply stares at Zahra, with a deadpan expression, before giving a knowing smirk and moves to drink from her glass.

Craig laughs, simply trapping Zahra with a one-arm hug. "Y'know they're not wrong, right Z?"

"You're not supposed to say that, loser."

Jake watches everyone, how they've all so evolved and moved on, how Taylor changed their lives as well. He relents to the lighter ambiance and finally just shakes his head, tapping Sean on the shoulder. "So, how's the arm after the game, Cap'n Am—"

Aleister comes running back to the circle, his eyes wild, his mouth agape, as if trying to look for the right words to say. Grace immediately stands up and holds his husband close. "What is it?"

Jake becomes alarmed at the sight of Malfoy like this; he's usually more composed, and rarely did anything rattle him besides Grace and his crazy dad and holographic mother. Finally, Aleister speaks.

"Silas Prescott… As you would know, he's a big business tycoon from Northbridge, one of my father's friends… I had attended his gala with Grace and our respective teams three weeks ago, where a hostage and explosion disaster happened and—"

"So, what then? I mean, hell yeah, we know what happened and that there are a growing number of superheroes and shizzle there but—" Craig says, but is soon cut off by a more annoyed Aleister.

"Will you listen first, you simpleton?! Just… It's time you know. Silas unveiled something called a _Prism Gate_ during his gala _._ " Aleister explains through unsteady breaths. He looks at Grace, and they nod.

His eyes watch everyone's anticipated expressions. "But before the grand reveal of the Prism Gate, he also presented… a crystal. A crystal, as he explained, that he discovered twenty-five years ago on an island, possessing components that go beyond the human knowledge of quantum mechanics."

"Crystal?" Quinn perks up.

"Yes." Grace answers. "The crystal gives power to the Prism Gate. It was an endless bound of energy, but, we never found out how exactly Silas could harness this when the robbery happened… The Prism Gate was gradually getting erratic and unstable, and then… it exploded. We had to escape immediately."

Michelle's lips tip down sadly. "I remember. There were a lot of people at the hospital then…"

Aleister continues, and Jake grows restless. "We were unsure if these were linked to what we are familiar with, but it could not be just a mere coincidence. We had to get at least a sample, a piece, _anything ,_ of the crystals Silas holds, and had it studied to match with my father's own findings from before…"

His eyes meet Jake's.

"They _match_. These were the same crystals that caused time anomalies on this island. The… very same crystals on the pillar where Taylor held on before she…" He trails off. "Anyhow, upon further research, the Prism Gate has been stashed elsewhere. The rising number of supervillains must definitely need a stricter approach on security."

Jake momentarily loses himself at his last memory of Taylor. How he held on tight to the crystal pillar with her between his arms. His pounding heart, her ragged breath, their last few moments together. Their last kiss, how Taylor never got to say a proper goodbye before the light took her away.

"How exactly did you do 'research'?" Zahra presses, and Aleister takes a moment before he replies.

"We… hired a private investigator," He says hesitantly, looking at Grace for reassurance. Aleister meets everyone's curious gazes. "He's checked Prescott Industries, and followed all possible warehouses and labs Silas could keep it from the public."

Craig raises his hand, a childlike awe gleaming in his eyes. "Yo, you might think this is gon' be weird but, did that gate thingy have to do anything with the new heroes and supervillains in Northbridge?!"

"Actually Craig, yes." Grace nods.

"Whoa! S-So that means, whoa, okay, so that's why Taylor—"

"Is it going to let us see her?" Jake suddenly speaks, his expression unreadable to the gang. He was welling up with anticipation and hope—but his mind tells him otherwise. It was going to hurt him more. What if the Prism Gate wasn't a ticket to see her? To be with her again?

Aleister and Grace fall silent. "We… We don't know for sure." The bespectacled girl answers, nervously fishing out her phone from her pocket. She scrolls to some encrypted messages from her e-mail. "The PI will continue his investigation and will keep us updated if there are any more discoveries."

"But…" Diego's voice cuts through, his eyes full wonder as they look up at the couple. "Why all this? Why hire a PI? Why investigate? Why go through all of this when we aren't sure that we'll see her again?"

Aleister takes a deep breath, but Sean beats him to answering. The football player drifts to the Brit's side, clapping him on the back. "If Taylor was here and one of us had gone like that… She'd definitely tackle the first chance she'd get to see us." He smiles kindly at Aleister, to which the latter returns one as well.

Quinn's eyes water, her smile wistful but optimistic. "Taylor taught us to hope, Diego. And if that piece of crystal is the first step we have in finding her again, I think it's worth the shot. We'll never know unless we try, right?"

Each face lights up with a smile. Diego wipes away a tear as Varyyn hugs him close. "Yeah… She would. This is what she would have done."

Jake felt weak. His eyes blink with tears, the restless hope inside him getting unbounded each second. Perhaps it was a way. Perhaps it was time to see her again.

"Five years ago, she…" Jake had his head hanging low. Everyone turns to him, various expressions watching him. Everyone knew how Jake was inconsolable for a long while, losing his wife, the love of his life, just like that. Sean had Michelle, Diego had Varyyn, Aleister had Grace, Craig had Zahra… and Jake had barely anything to remember her by except her voice. A hollow space filled with just memories.

And finally, he speaks of her without pain, as Jake wipes away a tear with the back of his hand. He chuckles as he continues. "Princess told me she'd be gone forever to save the world… I remember tellin' her that I'd come after her."

He pauses, biting down his lip. "That I'd find a way. That I'd cross every damn mile of space to get her back, no matter what it took."

Jake takes a stride towards Aleister and Grace, nodding gratefully and smiling at them. "Heh, sorry 'bout this… But thanks. I'm keepin' that promise, and finally, step one's here. I'm getting my Princess back."

Aleister scoffs, waving him off. However, he bears a soft, kind expression, his eyes glimmering with the same hope everyone has, and obviously, tears. "Taylor has been a gift to all of us. Grace and I… made sure to gather as much information we can before we share it to you. If not to see her again, it would at least give us an idea about the phenomenon that happened, or what her origins are."

"There's hope, everyone." Grace sniffs and beams cheerily. "Taylor is important to all of us. She pushed us to who we are right now. We'll let everyone know once we get more details about the Prism Gate."

"So, we're really doing this?" Craig exclaims, a bewildered look on his face. He looks at Zahra, and she rolls her eyes.

"It's Taylor we're talkin' about." She snorts, shaking her head. "Plus, I doubt we're doing this legally, so I definitely am excited to hack some billionaire systems."

Jake perks up, smiling. One by one, they look at each other, faces of determination, eyes glistening with hope. Quinn nods cheerfully and Furball hums happily. Diego was definitely in, and so was Raj, heartily laughing, and Estela, giving the pilot a nod of assurance.

Some, however, show faces of doubt. Worries. Concerns that the future they've built would crumble.

Michelle sighs. "I'm in but… If, as Zahra says, we're not doing this legally, aka hacking, sneaking around and trespassing, you better make sure we don't end up in prison."

Sean weighs this carefully and looks at Jake. "Yeah, Michelle is right. All of us have actual jobs now, and we could all go to jail now we're in the real world. We have to be careful about this."

"I'll make sure we won't." Aleister tries to reassure the group. "As much as possible, we will not try to do anything illegal… for now. None of us want to risk anything. Information is important, and we shall wait for more of that."

"But if it comes down to it, I'll do the dirty work." Jake says confidently, smirking at the Brit.

"Me too, but uh, not dirty work, probably like… a lookout or something." Diego says nervously. Varyyn intertwines their fingers.

"I shall assist too, should we need to… How do you guys say it… Ah, 'wreck some noobs'." Zahra wipes an invisible tear from her eye, proudly looking over at Varyyn. She flashes him a thumbs-up.

"Me and Z are down for some action, just like the good ol' days." Craig says, flexing a bicep.

Doubts were washed away by assurances, by hope. Everyone looks at each other again, just like five years ago, as if finding strength in each other. Each person in the circle knew they would back each other up no matter what the circumstances are. That's how it always went. That's how lasting friendships work, tested by time, monsters, psychotic billionaires, and murderous mercenaries.

Jake picks up his whole bottle of whiskey this time and raises it for a toast. His blue eyes were unyielding, positive. "One more adventure then, fellas."


	2. What Looms Ahead

_Hey guys! I didn't expect such a good batch of reviews for the first chapter. Thank you so much! I do hope you'll like my take on this post-ending fanfiction. Shoutout to the wonderful person who put my fic as a recommended read on Reddit. Sending so much love to you, and everyone who's reading_

 _Anyhow, enjoy! Critiques and reviews are always welcome. I would love to know what I can improve on!_

* * *

 _"I said maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me… you're gonna be the one that saves me, you're gonna be the one that saves me…"_

Jake strums the last of the chords until the echoes fade, and he sighs. He sets aside his guitar on the floor, himself sprawled across the messy comfort of his bed. He closes his eyes. Another night goes by. Los Angeles was a little too noisy for his taste, but it is what it is. Rebecca's here, LAX pays well and gives him the flexibility to choose his routes and schedules, and it was busy and loud enough sometimes to keep him distracted. Good number of bars too, a number of places to get the kind of whiskey he liked.

But their reunion at La Huerta was now a turning point; no whiskey or noise could erase such thoughts in his mind— it was Taylor. Taylor. Taylor all over again, for five months.

Behind closed eyes, Jake tries to remember every detail about her—her blue eyes, her goddamn smile, the curve of her lips and how soft they were every time he kissed them, her voice, her hands, her waist, her body, the way she talked, the way she handled things—everything, he tries to keep all the small things that make her in his mind, memorizing them.

He wouldn't forget her. He doesn't want to.

Vibrating beneath tangled sheets, his phone rings. He opens his eyes lazily, greeted by the slightly grimy ceiling with a lone, dim light bulb. Large windows at the west side of his room filled mostly the illumination, casting faint colorful lights from the city streets and buildings outside.

He yanks the phone from under the blanket, near his leg. Eyes widened at the caller ID.

"Malfoy?"

"I know it's late there already. Sorry to interrupt your sleep," Aleister answers from the other line.

Jake sits up, pulling down his scrunched shirt. He could hear the indistinct traffic from Aleister's end. "Nah, it's fine. Wasn't sleepin' yet… You got something for me?"

It takes a few seconds of noise and screeches, and then Grace's voice takes over. Jake swears he heard swerving and some honks. "Jake, sorry… Aleister's driving. We just came back from London, and, er, we may need to regroup as soon as possible. How long do you think you could fly to Craig and Zahra's apartment in Hartfeld?"

"What?" Jake blinks. "LA to Massachusetts?"

"Yes. It's the safest place that we could discuss things. We… The PI finally located the Prism Gate and is ready to hand us some encrypted data we're giving to Zahra. It's still in Northbridge, and we've been given directions to its site but Silas Prescott completely rebuilt and fortified his security, so we may need to— Hello?"

The phone was on loud speaker, perched atop his cabinet. A notification pops up—a reply from a fellow pilot to Jake's message a few seconds ago if he would be able to pull some strings and get Jake to hop on the next flight to Boston.

"Five hours."

"What?" Grace asks.

Jake pulls out a duffel bag beneath his bed, quickly stuffing it with some clothes and his wallet. He starts getting dressed. "I'll get on a plane right now. Be there in five hours. Everyone's comin'?"

"I still need to call up Quinn, Michelle and Sean, but the rest are headed there. We'll be there in an hour."

"Countin' on it. Thanks. See ya." The pilot hangs up, his eyes lingering on the screen of his wallpaper, before nodding to himself and getting a move on. This was a risk that he'd take if it meant a chance to get to see her again.

He darts out behind the apartment they lived in, towards a figure hidden under a black cloth. Beneath the oil-tainted fabric was a sleek, custom-built street motorcycle with a lustrous combo of green and black. Jake unchains it and slips on the helmet, securing his duffel bag behind, and speeds off into the blaring scenario that is the busy, gaudy night life of LA.

The pilot slips neatly into the traffic, through narrow spaces between cars and limousines that pollute the hectic roads. People in their glitzy and swanky clothes line up in front of the biggest clubs and bars, the lot of them arguing with bouncers. He shakes his head.

The colors and lights blur into the hazy background of buildings and establishments, and Jake skids to a stop at a red traffic light. _90 seconds._ For the period he waited, there were flashing colors of red, blue and white from a shop, and Jake is reminded of Taylor again. Up at the control tower, the day they landed on La Huerta. It was the moment he really looked at her up-close—this woman he learned to appreciate, admire, and love over the next few weeks.

Taylor was a tough, resilient woman who balanced wit, compassion and fairness. Beauty and humor was just a bonus. She was someone who exhibited courage and bravery, putting on the armor for others when trouble was coming.

In the recording, she told him that it's because of him she had the strength and confidence to make that final decision. But Jake knew otherwise. He knew Taylor would be ready to give up everything for the good of everyone.

But that was what made things more painful. In exchange for the world's fate, for everyone's future, Taylor had to _not_ be a part of it anymore. She never did belong to this world, but she fit perfectly in their lives. In _his_ life, his heart. But he wanted to believe she made the right decision.

What would life be if they had chosen to stay in La Huerta together? If they had gone with Rourke's offer, would he be able to find her and fall in love again, in a world where they would never have met?

 _12 seconds._ Jake clutches the throttle of his bike. He then sees Rebecca out patrolling, coming out from the corner of the street. Jake winks at her and does a finger gun gesture.

"Where—"

But he never gets to hear whatever she was about to say; he hustles further into the road to the airport as the light switched to green. In a matter of minutes, he reached his destination and boarded the plane smoothly, although he may have bribed some security personnel and fellow workmates for it.

In four and a half hours, Jake rouses awake as the plane descends into a calmer landscape. He quickly hops in a taxi that breezes by the quieter streets of Boston in the early morning, brown trees with crisp orange and yellow leaves peppered along the road and a serene view of the seaside just beyond. Right now, his body is screaming for coffee.

He checks his phone, the screen lined up with Rebecca's messages. Jake chuckles.

 _'Sorry, I'll be gone for a few days. Kinda needed to fly. Take care.'_

The golden rays of the sun paint the pale sky as he goes further, and the scene melts into an array of smaller establishments and commercial spaces as they enter the town of Hartfeld. Hartfeld University covers almost the entirety of his journey. They stop in front of a sleek apartment complex, an intimidating building with six storeys and a polished black, white and grey façade.

He smoothens his sandy blonde hair and makes his way to Zahra and Craig's apartment, up on the fourth floor. He waits. A series of clicks could be heard from the other side.

"Yo, 'bout time." Craig greets him upon opening the door. He clears his throat. "Er, I mean, welcome to the… _party_! So nice of you to join us Jake, and we're totally just doing some happy reunion, yeah?"

Jake raises his brow at this attempt of concealing their meeting. Craig grins nervously, darting eyes looking for anyone behind Jake, or maybe some bugged device, a tracker, anything—and then Aleister calls from inside the room.

"Just please get him inside."

Craig ushers the pilot in and shuts the door, securing it with a number of locks. Jake meets seven other faces gathered around the living room area—Raj, Grace, Aleister, Diego, Varyyn, Sean, and Quinn. On the center table was a tray of freshly brewed coffee, and Raj offers him a cup. "Creamer and sugar are just here in case."

Jake graciously takes the black coffee. "Sweet Jesus, this is all I need. Thanks."

Grace leans forward. "Now that we're here, we will just wait for Estela to arrive. Zahra's in her office, and she'll call for us when she's laid out what we have. She's um, she said better not to disturb her."

He keeps his bag away and sits down beside Diego, sipping from the mug. "Is Sarah Connor fighting off Terminator?"

"She'll be arriving anytime soon." Aleister replies, putting away his phone after a seemingly stressed reading from his e-mails. "Her flight from San Trobida takes about three hours. It's the fastest I could get for my… er, her."

A slightly uncomfortable silence hangs in the air, until—

"So, like… She's your sister, right?" Craig asks.

"I… suppose so," the blond answers, his head low. "Besides Reginald and my father, she's the only relative I have. I'd want to have a good relationship with my own... sister. It's been five years, but we've… not quite bonded as siblings should."

"I'm sure it'll be okay," Grace assures him with a warm smile. "Estela would naturally choose to stay in San Trobida instead of here in the US, so you really don't get much time together. Maybe we can go out someday soon as a family?"

Aleister's pale cheeks flush a faint pink, but a grateful smile replaces his frown. "Yes, that's… That would be lovely."

Jake scans the gang again. "Doc Maybelline?"

Sean sighs, leaning against the recliner. Raj offers him a bowl of nachos garnished with bacon and cheese, to which the football star declines politely. "She hasn't exactly left the hospital since yesterday. Northbridge citizens have been in and out lately with the superheroes versus super villains casualties."

"She said she'll try to come as soon as she can after her shift." Quinn says with a smile. On her lap was Furball, munching on a nacho and leaving crumbs on the redhead's shorts. "It's been really hectic for her."

"Yeah man, Northbridge is always on the news! That Talos guy sure is a cool hero," Craig says with a grin. "Then there's Minuet and Diamante, and they're really kickin' some ass lately too!"

"These heroes you mention, they are the ones with bronze for a body, a masked woman in gray, and another woman with a red cape?" Varyyn inquires, a curious gleam in his bright yellow eyes. Diego had him dressed in a comfortable hoodie and sweat pants for the season.

"Yes, my man, yes." Craig says proudly, fishing out his phone and showing some digitally made artworks, albeit seeming like drafts, for the Elyyshar. "Our team is planning to make a video game out of the Northbridge heroes and I am so pumped!"

"But the more superheroes come forward, the more villains pop out too." Diego says, putting three teaspoons of sugar into his cream-colored coffee. "Northbridge's reconstruction of buildings is non-stop, and a survey from their Mayor's office says that half of the city wants to evacuate if this keeps up."

"Man, that sucks." Sean shakes his head. "But heroes always win, right? Maybe it's tough now, but eventually the good guys will find a way to restore peace and order. Hopefully that kind of problem with super villains don't spread out to other places."

A knock comes from the door, and almost everyone jumps at the sudden noise. It takes a moment for them to look at each other, and Craig strides to the door nervously and presses his face to the peep hole. "Yo, she's here!"

It takes a series of unlocking and clicks before Craig pulls the door open to welcome Estela, who steps in with her usual wary look. "…Good morning."

"Mornin' Estela! Coffee?" Raj bounds to her cheerfully with a mug, which Estela takes with a grateful nod.

"Er, I hope your flight proved to be alright…? Did you have any problem?" Aleister stands up, trying not to show the worry and uncertainty in his smile. He's failing.

Estela simply shakes her head and stands at the side of the sofa, mug in hand. "It went alright. Thanks." She pauses, avoiding Aleister's eyes, and finally mutters, "How's… little Reggie?"

"He's chipper and healthy. You should visit him soon." Aleister answers briefly with a smile. Estela nods with small smile, although warm and eager.

Furball jumps off Quinn's lap and nuzzles against the Colombian's leg, to which she would give a small, gentle pat on its head. She tries to conceal a smile as her fingers brush against its soft fur. Everyone resumes talking as they waited for Zahra.

Jake savors the warm taste of rich black coffee. He turns to Grace from across the table, who was watching some videos of their kid on her phone.

"Missing him, eh?" He smiles.

Grace's head snaps to him, her expression surprised, but she relaxes and nods proudly. "Mom's taking care of him while we're here… It's something of an apology from her, but she's actually really fond of her grandchild. Reginald's been a handful, but that's okay. He's happy, we're happy, and I think that all that matters."

"Good to hear that," Jake says briefly, sipping from his mug. He takes a few seconds before sucking in air sharply. "You… mentioned about the Prism Gate being in Northbridge. How far is that place from here?"

"It's an hour drive to the west of Hartfeld. It's a pretty big city, and as you may hear…" She looks at the rest of the gang, with Craig surveying who was their favorite hero. "It's been unsafe and alarming. Over the course of five months, a lot of casualties and superhero conflicts had happened. It was tough for the PI to investigate."

"Yeah, that… Anything you might wanna share? Brief us or something."

The group falls silent as Grace takes a minute to organize her thoughts. "The PI shared some interesting matters over the last five months. When Craig asked last time if the Prism Gate is any way connected to the superheroes, I said yes. The initial discovery was that all the super humans so far had a trace of the crystal's particles in their bloodstream."

Craig whistled. " _Daaaaaaamn_."

"Additionally, Silas produced a liquified version of the crystals which he called the Liquid Prism. The news says these things have been stolen and passed on from criminal to criminal, and with the rising rates of supervillains, the conclusion is that these Liquid Prism have been consumed to produce such an army."

Varyyn appears surprised. "This is… the potential of Vaanu's crystals have more to offer than what we know. Such power was not discovered by anyone in the Vaanti."

"We don't know for sure if these crystals have been harnessed differently by the Prescott Industries to have this kind of effect on humans." Grace says. "They've been studying these for 25 years. Maybe we'll get some answers once Zahra gets access on the files."

"This is why Silas Prescott has likely increased security in his properties." Aleister continues. His hand intertwines with Grace's, thumb gently grazing over her skin. "The rampant rate of super villains grows day by day, and stronger. Who knows which mastermind would get their hands on the Liquid Prism next if he would not secure them."

The discussion is interrupted as a disheveled Zahra throws open the door of her office. She doesn't say anything. Her eyes are wide, looking at everyone gathered.

Craig jogs to her side. "Z? You okay?"

"God, and I thought _we_ were doing something illegal." Zahra shakes her head. "Guys, you have to see this."


	3. Torn

_Hi everyone! Sorry this took a while. Thank you for all the follows, faves and reviews for the previous chapters!_

 _Also, I'm flying to Norway next week so I will be busy for next three weeks. Chapter 4 may be likely released in June if I don't get to finish it by next week. For this, I apologize. But I hope you all will continue to read and support this fic!_

 _Reviews, comments and critiques are very welcome._

* * *

All they wanted was to know if they could somehow reach out to Taylor. To see her again. Or at least, know what or who she is beyond the message she's left them with, where she went, her origins—just answers to the many questions they could never fathom.

That's what Jake wanted, of course. But looking at Zahra's expression, there's a good guess that they just tripped into something more dangerous than they expected.

"What do you mean?" Aleister presses, stepping closer to the raven-haired female.

"Should've expected this." Zahra clicks her tongue. "Cartoonishly rich old men fixated about pushing their inventions and shit? Yeah, we've dealt with a Rourke before, and now we're back at this again. Just come inside."

The atmosphere falls tense, and everyone follows her into the office. Aleister and Grace press forward in urgency. Jake follows suit.

The gang crowds in the small, dimly lit office, walls painted in dark hues and windows shielded with blackout curtains, taped to the walls. A number of devices were sprawled on her desk, tangled cords connected to her double monitor PC. Web cameras and microphones were covered in tape as well for security.

Furball trots after the group, with Raj picking the ice fox up and plops it on his shoulder. "Stay up here, lil' fella."

"Don't touch anything." Zahra reminds sternly as slides into her desk and begins by opening some folders on her PC. Blueprints, videos, logs, chemical analyses, x-rays and security access—everything the private investigator had obtained was here.

She pulls up a copy of a decrypted e-mail thread from the hard drive. "Prescott is hiding a _lot_ of things." She starts, typing away and puts the log in full screen. Everyone leans in to read. "First things first, this one's an email exchange with a dude named Russell Mayhew. Does it ring a bell?"

Aleister perks up, blinking. "CEO of Mayhew Dynamics, a chemical manufacturing company… A likely friend of Silas. Why did the PI get a copy of his hard dri—" He stops mid-sentence as his eyes scan the contents of the correspondence. "What…?"

"He's been blackmailing Mayhew," Grace pales. "Silas has been planning with the criminals to 'steal' the Liquid Prism from him? I… But, why?"

"Because the damn bastard is smart, that's what," Jake clicks his tongue and stands back, disgusted with what he read on the screen. "He found a way to make a goddamn army of freaks without getting caught!"

Sean's face shifted from surprise to anger. "All this time, all these people getting hurt… Was because of him? He made this happen on purpose?"

A ripple of surprised and distressed murmurs and questions fills the office. Zahra scrolls and continues. "I know this isn't what we're looking for yet, but this gives us a good look at what we're up against."

Diego swallows hard. "We're planning to trespass into a very guarded and likely deadly territory of another Lex Luthor, who has an army of supervillains backing him up. Yup, absolutely no sweat."

Varyyn stares at him, his hand traveling down to find Diego's and holds it tenderly. "We have braved to defeat Cetus, the Hydra, and all the danger against us in the past. If we will to win, then I believe we can defeat this man and his army, my love."

"I don't think we're up to fight against superhumans. Nope." Raj shakes his head vigorously. "We've killed three sea monsters on that island, but back in _this_ normal world, we won't be able to handle it the same. Can't we just call the cops on him?"

Aleister steps up. "No… We absolutely cannot. Acquiring all this information is a risk already that can ruin our lives. And I… I do not believe that the police can hold down Silas if he already has alliances with criminals. He's too powerful right now, even with just being connected to Russel Mayhew. We don't know who else is under him."

Estela's jaw tightens, and she faces Aleister with a hard expression. "And _we_ let him slide for his crimes? People's lives are at _stake_ here!"

"As much as it pains me to say it, this isn't our battle to fight." Sean says reluctantly in a quiet voice, taking moments to mull over things.

Craig turns to Sean with a surprised look. "Bro… When would you have ever picked to _not_ fight for this? We have to do something! This dude's a billionaire war freak!"

Hopelessness and indecision dance behind Sean's eyes as he sighs. Slowly, he speaks. "We'd have to rely on Northbridge's superheroes. That's the reason why they're there, and I'm sure they are doing everything they can. We can't risk it. _I_ can't let you guys risk more than what we're already doing."

"Now if that was true, wouldn't those superheroes be fixing the problem right now, Cap?" Jake almost snarls.

"Silas Prescott is making an army of bad guys with superpowers. We beat Rourke and Lundgren, we can stop this guy too! Right?" Quinn tries to encourage, looking at her friends. None of them would cast a glance at her.

"We…" Grace speaks up with a sad voice, carefully choosing her words as she looks up, her apologetic gaze falling on Jake, Quinn, Estela, and Craig. "All of us would want to stop him. You guys know that. But we have to choose between chasing and stopping him and his plans _or_ get to the Prism Gate in such limited time. We also… can't risk too much."

Her eyes and Aleister's meet. "We have our families… our little boy, waiting for us."

As Estela begins to rile up and protest, little Reginald comes to mind. She visibly stiffens, gazing at Aleister and Grace, before inhaling sharply and shaking her head. She stalks to the corner of the room in disappointment. Furball jumps off Raj's shoulder and runs to her, nudging her leg.

"Mrr?"

"I'm a coward…" She whispers to the little blue fox, her voice drowned by the others' who have not given up on the issue. Estela leans against the wall, eyes cast down.

"Quinn… You don't have the power of the heart anymore either. Right now, all of us are just humans with normal abilities, save for Varyyn," Diego tries to console her. "We're back to being confined with the rules of society. We can get jailed, our families and friends could be threatened, we… might get killed for good. There's no Endless One to restart things, and there are no more other timelines that any of us can relive."

"Yeah, no, sorry Short Stuff. But if Daddy Weirdbucks actually has plans to take over the world, we _still_ might get killed for good, wouldn't we?" Jake's voice is laced with the same fury and distaste for Rourke and Lundgren. "If we're trespassing anyway, we might as well do _something_ about it!"

Everyone falls into squabbles, arguments. Divided with what they want to do. Morals, justice, family, future—which of these weighs heavier in their lives right now?

"God, everyone, shut up, please." Zahra groans, running a hand through her short, black hair. When that doesn't work, she finally stands up and yells, " _Seriously!_ Get outta here if you won't stop!"

They stop. Zahra's crimson eyes linger on each of them one last time, and she sits down on her desk once more.

The uncomfortable silence passes for a few moments more before Aleister breaks it, his expression trying to mask the same uncertainty that resonates with his friends. "We _will_ unquestionably continue that discussion later. For now, I suggest we search further into our target's files and find the blueprints we need. Perhaps we will make a better decision after we get all the information."

They nod, murmuring to themselves. Grace's shoulders slump and she sighs of relief, although she knows this period of cooperation would be brief now that they've uncovered things that they should not have.

Jake takes a few seconds to calm down. He inhales deeply. He should not forget why he was here. Why they were doing this in the first place. This was for _her_.

"Now that we know we're dealing with a Hellfire Club member, where'd he keep this Prism Gate?" Jake quips, leaning again towards the monitor.

"Before that," the black-haired woman answers, clicking on yet another file. It was a hundred-page document in PDF format, seemingly a research of sorts. The authors of the study were listed as Prescott, S. and Willow, R. "I managed to fix this corrupted file and be glad I did. This confirms the Prism Gate _is_ a portal."

Grace peers and reads through a couple of the pages as Zahra scrolls it down for her. Diagrams, observation tables and activities and phenomena coming from the Prism Gate were all listed. "Hm, debris, soil… and even strange vegetation have come through the portal." She reads aloud, eyes widening.

"Your PI only got half of what this research has." Zahra says. "There should be more after page 107, but looks like they never got to finish downloading or copying the file."

"This would be enough," Aleister nods, eyes reading over and over the last few pages. "Piecing it together… The prism crystal powers this gate, and this opens a portal that connects earth to another place."

"Holy shit dude," Craig exclaims as he leans closer. "You think we could go through that gate and see what's on the other side?"

"It might be too dangerous to pass through it. The author noted here that it links us to another _dimension_." Grace adds. "We'll never know if it could sustain human life there. More to worry, I think, is that the portal might disintegrate us if we try to go into it… There's not much information about anything or anyone going through the gate."

"I wouldn't risk trying to go through it." Sean murmurs.

Diego pushes through the huddled crowd, trying to get a read as well. "Do you think this dimension could be where Taylor is at?"

"The likely theory," Aleister replies. "The research also verifies that some particles that have come through the portal share some properties with Silas' prism crystal, which would naturally mean it shares the La Huerta time crystals."

"If she's there… Do we try to go in, or…?" Quinn asks.

Everyone looks at her, and then at each other. Jake responds. "I would."

"Now Jake, we're not even sure if humans could sustain whatever power the gate holds if you go through it…" Grace frowns.

"We'll never know if we won't try. We'll test it out with some stuff first before I'd go in." He answers readily.

"That being said, let's have a look at where they stashed it." Zahra pulls up another folder, showing a number of security footages from different places. She plays one video dated a week ago.

"Shipped it out of the Prescott main building at night in an armored van," She says, crimson eyes watching the footage until the Prism Gate, covered carefully and placed inside a large box, was loaded into the vehicle and driven away.

She moves to click another video, this time showing an extremely guarded loading dock in an unfamiliar building, where several men pull out the box from the van cautiously and transfer it inside. "And now it's somewhere in the cluster of labs within Northbridge, 'course under Prescott Industries."

Clicking yet another video, the gang watches as the Prism Gate is unboxed and displayed in a lab facility. A huge monitor with surrounding buttons and keys and machineries is positioned in the middle of the area. "Lab 003, basement 2 level."

In the footage, rows of metal bars are set in prison fashion at the far back. Jake raises his brows.

"Mind telling why the hell he's got a bunch of jail cells in a lab?"

Zahra shrugs. "Probably another looney guy who keeps people to experiment. Who knows? Rich old guys are crazy."

Craig then looks at Aleister with wide eyes, mouth agape. Aleister raises his brows at him in question.

"Is there any problem, Craig?"

"Uh… Nothing… Not that you're a rich guy who's probably going to be old one day…" He mutters, still keeping his eyes on the Brit, and reluctantly peeling them away when Zahra speaks.

"So, there you have it," Zahra announces, clicking on another set of files– blueprints. "It's going to take one and half hours to drive to the facility from here, and probably another half to get through its own security, which is pretty tight."

She opens the one of the files and zooms in, showing the outskirts of the building. "It's a pretty dense bunch of buildings here. Safe to say patrolling would be everywhere, much how Mayhew Dynamics is pretty guarded right now with paramilitary people, so we're—"

"What? Paramilitary?" Jake asks.

"Wait, what—how do you know this?" Aleister stares at her in disbelief. Zahra simply pulls up a program, types in a few more things, and several live security videos of Mayhew Dynamics' site comes to the screen.

"Figured it would be handy to see how exactly Silas is keeping the guy cooped in his cage…" Zahra explains. The security feed shows patrolling masked men in black armed with guns and weapons outside the factory.

"Do you think you could access any live security footage of the Prism Gate now?" Grace says.

Zahra scoffs. "You don't even have to ask. I already tried, but I'm kinda stumped right now. Whoever upgraded his systems and network is pretty good. Nothing I can't solve, though. Give me a few minutes."

Everyone looked at her, the screen, what she was about to do, waiting. Zahra turned to look at them, raising a brow.

"… By a few minutes, maybe you should all take a breather outside or something." She said, a knowing look on her face.

"Oooooh right, gotcha Z," Craig smiles widely, unlocking the door and heads out. Soon, the rest of them follow.

Estela, however, lags behind with Furball, gazing at everyone file out through the door until the last person. Zahra stares at her curiously at her sullen face, before leaning forward to get to work.

"It's the kid, isn't it?" Zahra remarks. Her hands were untangling the mess of her headphones' cords, preparing the necessary before she pours all of her focus into the Prescott security.

"Yeah." Estela answers shortly, lingering, looking down at the carpet. She shakes her head and decides to finally join the others in the sunny living room. Furball quickly trots after her.

Most of the gang were sitting on the L-shaped chaise sofa. Raj was in the kitchen with Quinn, seemingly pulling out aromatic pastries from the oven and washing the empty mugs and nacho platter from earlier. The scent of warm cinnamon wafted through the apartment. Estela finds herself alone, looking at Aleister and Grace, before stalking off to one of the vacant chairs.

Jake sits on one of the sofa chairs, arms crossed, head cocked to the side. His blue eyes were dazed, his mind sifting through thoughts and ideas and trying to make sense of it all. He expected a break-in into a billion-dollar building with security guards and cameras, not an army of specially trained men in combat and weaponry, and more so, superhumans.

The more he thinks about the consequences and obstacles ahead of them, the more he gets discouraged. The more Taylor seems so far away. It doesn't help that only a handful of them were actually willing to go into the mission with him.

But he quickly dismisses the thought; he survived two years in Costa Rica living and surviving without depending on anybody. This was a single night that he could pull off with the right intel and skills. Taylor's smiling face intrudes his thoughts. He smiles a little, although wistful, longing.

An urgent knock on the door catches their attention, and Craig nervously jogs to and peers through the hole. He sighs in relief. Unlocking the door, Michelle strides in the room, handbag in tow. Even with the make-up, the dark circles under her eyes were evident. "Sorry, busy day at the hospital…"

"Too many Northbridge residents injured again?" Quinn says, frowning, laying down a platter of cinnamon buns glazed with buttermilk on the center table. Raj bounds in with apple spice muffins on another tray.

Her roommate could only nod, strolling to the couch where Diego and Varyyn make space for her to sit. Sean walks behind the couch and massages her shoulders.

Michelle's face was exhausted. Her hands are shaking ever so slightly. "Victims from an arsonist supervillain… And many others from the aftermaths of police shootouts and superhuman fights. There were too many near-fatal wounds that I had to treat, too many lives and…"

Michelle's stress finally takes a toll, and she leans her head against Sean's arm. Her voice cracks, her eyes brim with tears. "I couldn't save them all…"

"Oh Mich…" Sean says softly, wrapping his arms around her. He pats her hair sympathetically, gently. "I'm sorry. But you did your best…"

Quinn watches with a crestfallen face, before casting her gaze towards Aleister and Grace. "This… see, we _can_ intervene. We _can_ stop this madness."

"What are you talking about?" Michelle's head lifts up to look at Quinn, her eyes curious amidst the tears.

Diego sighs. "Zahra found out a bunch about Silas Prescott… One of which is that he's the guy behind the rising number of super villains in Northbridge."

"And we can totally do something about it, right Meech? We can try to get to see Taylor _and_ take down the old dude." Craig tries to persuade her.

The surgeon could not speak; fury and determination cross her face, before melting into defeat. "I… Aren't we risking everything we worked hard for for the last five years with that? Shouldn't we just leave these to the police and the superheroes?"

"But… Even so, the heroes can't save everyone, but we can stop this if we put our minds into it," Quinn reasons, sitting down from across the coffee table. Her eyes were sad, pleading. "Someone special risked her life to save the world, maybe it's also time for us to step up and keep the world safe with what we can do."

Sean shakes his head. "No, Quinn… We can't live the way we did five years ago. We had all the resources and freedom to do what we can to survive. We're already risking a lot by trespassing into the facility for the Prism Gate, and that's a lot of consequences."

"And there will be more consequences and peril should we intervene with Silas's master plan." Aleister adds.

Jake clicks his tongue. "Y'all never obviously had the guts to ever do the right thing. You think praying to these heroes would save the world? Y'all are just selfish asses who think nothing but your fancy careers."

Michelle visibly flinches, and her face contorts into rage. " _I_ worked for this. _I_ wanted this life, and Taylor wanted us to have this life we have now. _I'_ m an actual surgeon who's doing everything she can to save lives, McKenzie! I'm not throwing away the life I fought and worked hard for!"

"Yeah, and we're a bunch who can stop that looney old man from making more freaks so you wouldn't have to be a slave to the hospital 24/7!" Jake barks back.

"L-Let's not… Um, let's not fight," Raj bounds in the middle of the argument, lifting a couple of muffins and offering them to his friends. "Muffins, anyone? Freshly baked!"

Furball whimpers, staying behind Raj. "Mrr…"

But Raj is left ignored as the tension carries on. Sean straightens and casts a glare at the pilot. "Do you even have any solid plans on how to stop him?"

"Maybe we would have if you weren't a bunch of cowards like this."

Sean shakes his head. "Don't you ever think of your family?"

"I've served this country for years and put the biggest traitor behind bars. My sister is part of the LAPD. My family and I live to risk our lives for what's right." Jake answers him, matching his glare. "Ain't you just scared to give up your superstardom."

"But what of us, Jake?" Grace's heartbroken voice slices the heated argument between the two parties. "What of us who wants to do everything to save people but are held back because someone is waiting for us back home?"

"Yes, we're scared to lose this life we built," Hot tears fill Grace's eyes, rooting from both despair and anger. "But are we selfish? Are we selfish for wanting to keep Reginald safe? For wanting him to have parents as he grows up?"

Was she? Or was he the selfish one for forcing everyone into his ideals and principles? Was he selfish for thinking of the greater good than the future of a young child who may or may not have imprisoned parents after their Prism Gate mission?

What was the right choice?

What was the right thing to say?

What would Taylor have done and said to this?

"We have to make choices, Jake. And nothing you say will make me give up the good future of my child." Grace mutters, wiping away her tears as Aleister holds her close. He glares at Jake.

Estela's eyes stay on Grace for a long while, a lump in her throat. She knew better than anyone here to lose a parent in the name of justice. For truth. Would she let Reginald's parents follow the same fate as her mother did? Would she follow Olivia's footsteps to take down Silas, as she attempted with Rourke?

Would Reginald live fine in a world knowing that his parents did the right thing, even if it cost them their lives?

The silence lingers painfully after Grace makes her point, and Jake turns away.

"You do have to note, Jake. We only have limited time. We don't know how long Silas will keep the Prism Gate in the same location." Aleister sternly reminds him, and then at everyone else. "You may as well ruin all our efforts to reach her."

Jake's eyes shifted to Aleister, his mind echoing his words. This could be their only and last chance to ever have the chance to reach her ever again.

"I'm… going out for air." Jake declares, not even turning to look at anyone as he leaves the apartment.


	4. You're Family

_Hello everyone, I am EXTREMELY sorry for the late update. Norway had kept me busy (I actually thought I'd get time to write there!) and when I came home last August, a lot of problems were just... well, they certainly welcomed me back home. But now I am settling back to writing and getting a new job!_

 _This may be shorter than the previous ones but I hope everyone still likes the update. Reviews and comments are welcome! To everyone wondering how long this fic will go on, I'm telling you know that it definitely won't be a very lengthy, multi-chaptered fanfiction._

 _And if there are any events that did not coincide with your desire or wish for an Endless Summer closure, I'm really sorry. I will write what I feel should have been a better closure, one that still feels right and does not disrupt too much of the canon storylines. I do appreciate all the support, anticipation and comments of this story!_

 _Lastly, this will be the last story on this account. I will finish One More Adventure here definitely, but all future stories will be published on the new account by my old name, almakazam. Link is in the profile!_

* * *

As Jake makes his way downstairs, the remaining members of the group stand uneasily. Eyes avoid each other, hands shifty, unsure what to say now. The tension is high and agonizing. Estela clicks her tongue, and follows the pilot out of the apartment.

Anger runs high in Michelle's veins, pumped further by the recent stress and pain. She finally breaks down in tears. Sean rubs her back, a defeated, exhausted sigh leaving his lips.

Quinn watches her friend. Torn, but she gives in. She walks up to Michelle and hugs her, sobbing. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I wish there was a better way to solve everything."

"We can't, can't… just do it, Quinn. I don't want any of you to end up in the hospital beds, or in prison. I don't want any of the people I have left to just end up injured, or, or, or, dead-"

"No one's dying, Mich. I promise."

"Is it really selfish of me, Quinn?" The surgeon pulls away, the hurt in her eyes streaming down in tears. Her lips quiver as her fingers cradle the redhead's cheek. "I don't want to lose anything again. This life. my dream, any of you-"

"None of us, none of this will ever disappear," Quinn reassures her, casting a glance at an uncertain Sean behind Michelle. "I just… I wish there was something we could do."

Alesiter exhales heavily. "All of us do."

"Whatever happened to us at La Huerta is over. Think about this carefully, Quinn." Sean says with a kind smile. "You and Taylor had powers that helped us through that period. The whole Vaanti was there to help us, even Yvonne and Malatesta. The Endless One, and whatever force of nature that aided us to survive."

Quinn's lips tremble. She slowly sits down with Michelle, her doleful eyes looking at the carpeted floor.

"Believe me, it frustrates me as everyone else that we're powerless against the supervillains in Northbridge. That I… we don't get to make a bigger difference as we did, what Taylor did."

"We won't get a reset, a restart this time…" Diego adds. He inhales sharply, looking at Varyyn for some kind of assurance, warmth. His expression softens, and he shakes his head.

"And… More than anything, if this ruins my chance… our chance to see Taylor, I'd… I really would rather not."

Varyyn observes uneasily as Diego holds his hand tighter. His soft yellow eyes fall to his beloved. The Vaanti king decides to intervene, hoping to help them, or at least make them feel better, "Catalysts, if I may—"

"No, Varyyn. We're not the Catalysts anymore... La Huerta was five years ago." Michelle cuts the Elyyshar, a tinge of pain and wistfulness in her eyes.

"La Huerta may have been five years ago, but that does not change who you represented, and what journey you had gone through. You all are still the same people, although much wiser now, that saved La Huerta. It just saddens me to see all of you fight like this. I would just like to share what I watched the other day."

Diego straightens up and looks at him with wonder. Varyyn quotes, "Friendship is everything. Friendship is more than talent. It is more than the government. It is almost the equal of family. That was from—"

"The Godfather," Craig blinks. "Whoa."

Varyyn smiles briefly. "Indeed. I would like everyone to know I see you all as a family, and it has been a privilege to be a part of it. You are all very lucky to have each other."

"Yeah guys, c'mon…" Raj says, shoulders slumped. His eyes wander to the pastries that have gone cold on the table, to each of their faces. "I'm sure we can… find a way, compromise or something… I don't think Taylor would be happy either to see us like this. It's important that we stick together, and get through this. It's a tough time but… We have each other. We're family."

"Tell that to Jake, he's being unreasonable," Michelle replies.

Craig's hulking figure stands in the corner of the room. Part of him wanted to feel like a superhero. To contribute to society. To save the world. To feel that rush of danger and heroism in his body again. All the things La Huerta gave. All the impossible things he was able to do.

But he sees all his friends- his family, as all of them would consider. All the people who was with him since that day. He remembers Joey then, and he is reminded of that time at La Huerta when they thought it might be the last- the phone call for Joey, how he felt the extreme hurt that his little brother would never see him again.

Was playing hero worth the risk?

"Yo… I'm, uh. Sorry."

Everyone turns to him. Craig steps closer into the circle, but his head still hangs low.

"Yeah it's just… It sucks to feel useless, y'know? I, uh… The time I didn't get drafted, I got so pissed at myself. A lotta times I thought of … just, ending it, at La Huerta. But…." Craig's voice cracks a little, he turns away sniffing.

"You guys were there… You, uh, helped me. This life I have now, it's … everything I wanted. I guess I… just wanted to feel the same heroes we were in La Huerta. Nobody knew we saved the world, well, Taylor did technically, but… everything that happened, we helped make it, we helped Taylor save everyone and just… Being useless normal people like this just drags me down a lot, and I can't help but think of the past. I... want to be useful. But I'm thinking about it, and… if any of you got hurt, I don't think my guilt will ever leave me."

Sean stares at his best friend. He shakes his head, clicking his tongue. "Damn, Craig…"

He takes long strides to go to Craig, pulling him into a one-armed hug. "I appreciate everything you told us now, man. We're with you, and even if we don't get to be the same heroes as before, we still make a difference. Remember those little kids that went up to your office the other day to thank you for making that game? You're a hero to them."

Raj rubs his eyes a little. "Sorry just… Ugh, you guys. Taylor and my grandma would be so happy to see this."

A smile cracks Grace's expression, and she laughs of relief. "I… Yeah, we're family. You guys have been crucial in making my life better. We'll find a way in this."

"Yeah… Don't worry." Sean gives one last pat on Craig's back. He smiles. "If there is any smaller way we can help North Bridge without jeopardizing getting to Taylor, I promise, we will do it. But our main goal is to reach her and keep ourselves from harm's way-"

Michelle raises a hand to intervene, but Sean quickly adds, "-as much as possible," She nods, dabbing her tears away with a handkerchief. "We all know infiltrating a facility such as that will be dangerous. So we will prepare thoroughly for this."

"Once Zahra completely gets a hold of their security system and provides us the right blueprints, I suggest we go as soon as possible." Aleister nods.

"Question," Diego perks up, "Do we have any equipment to help us, uh, you know, stay alive maybe?"

Grace's face suddenly lights up, as if in excitement. "Oh yes! Aleister, tell them about it!"

Everyone in the room tilts their head in confusion. All eyes were on the Brit, whose pale face melted into a very warm, embarrassed shade of crimson.

"Err, nothing… to ah, te-"

Grace's hand slaps Aleister's leg. He winces.

"Fine… I, uh," Aleister fishes out numerous small boxes from his luggage, setting them down on the coffee table as Raj moves the tray of pastries back to the kitchen. "I ordered some… well, earpieces for us to use during operation day."

Craig's eyes sparkle, and he quickly bends down to pick one box, pull out the earpiece and examine it. "Holy shiiiiiiiiit, we're like real spies now, holy- wait, Phonak Invisity Flex Miniature Receiver earpiece..."

The crimson just got deeper. Grace, almost visibly bounced in her seat. Craig racked his brain for why it was so familiar, until-

"Wait, wait, wasn't this the earpiece used in the James Bond Skyfall movie?! This is expensive holy hell," Craig gawked, suddenly holding the device gently and more delicately, plopping it safely back in its container.

"Y-Yes, it is." Aleister briefly answers.

Grace loops her arm around her husband's, gazing up at him. She absolutely adored him. "He specifically ordered them because James Bond is one of his favorite-"

"G-Grace!"

"... Wooops?"

The pale-haired man turns to his friends, his eyes avoiding their knowing expressions quickly as he turned, and tried to defend himself. "It is a really tasteful and practical earpiece based on research, it would surely aid us if we used a high quali-"

"I admire your luck, Mister...?" Grace mimics an accent, prodding him.

"..."

"..."

"...Bond, James Bond. Dammit."

"The accent sure makes it better," Quinn chuckles. A satisfied smile graced her features. She leans her head on Michelle's shoulder as the latter sighs comfortably.

"Dude, dude, we should totally dress you up when we go to Silas Prescott's lab." Craig suggests. He and Raj do a high-five.

Michelle nods. "The white tux and black bowtie would suit you well."

"Stop making fun of me!"

"We're not!" Grace chimes in with a peal of laughter. "We'd put you in costume and anyone would believe that you're the actual thing."

Everyone laughs, even Aleister, although flustered, begins to ask Grace if he really does look the part. Sean watches his friends with a relaxed smile, but then, it falters. Jake and Estela have not come back at all. They need to be here too. They need to at least compromise, if not fully agree, to keeping themselves safe rather than march into a battlefield with enemies stronger than them. A battle that they will surely not win on their own. Sean knows that. Jake probably knows too, but he did not want to be idle about it. That's just like him, Sean thinks. Everyone knows the feeling of being helpless. But it was for the best to leave this problem to the right people. To the ones who have a fair chance in winning the battle.

Since Taylor had gone, Sean promised himself to give their little family the same protection and guidance he did on that island. So he will.

He turns around, signaling Craig that he's going out.


End file.
